I have just received a glossy brochure warning me about bushfires. The government has also announced a website on which we can see the performance of different schools. These two examples got me to wondering can we as an online community come up with 10 things that any government over the past 10 years has done that has actually made a positive difference to our lives? From where I sit the bulk of government action (irrespective of which mob sits on the treasury benches) is about producing pamphlets telling us the bleeding obvious very little tangible is ever achieved. For example this league table of schools - does it mean that the government doesnot know how schools are performing? Does it mean the government wants to avoid spending funds to fix a problem and simply prefers to finger point? I would love to see a list of ten achievements by any government - no need to agree about its benefits all we need to do is demonstrate that it is an achievement. (please don't include the GST; this is about how our taxes are spent, not about how they are raised.)

Sadly not much- and it's out of lazy publicity stunts than a will to actually do something.
Although I can personally say that all the government departments below the actual government work pretty hard and DO constantly plan improvements to the system, when the proposal finds its way to the top, the party is more interested in saving the money (most likely for themselves) and printing pamphlets as they simply widely circulate belief among ignorant (potential voters) that the government are actively tackling the problem- the audience wouldn't know better.

Of course, I've also found that both parties have a record of pinning a crisis on the government in power while in opposition, and when THEY get in, may actually leaving the problem unfixed so they have something to continue to blame the other party for in future elections. Although it mostly boils down to security issues the other party would back away from being left open by the other anyway.

They do too many things, we probably could cut back a lot on government. Many overseas trips seem indulgent for example.

I can never remember my Federal local members name though never have even known the State members name or sex. They just vote along party lines and do little for the locality. Not sure why we need them. Abbott and Rudd both took an interest after the recent quest to have North Queensland separated. High unemployment and this threat prompted them into pretending we actually have political representation lol.

It was an interesting read on the Cairns Blog when a local council member said the council ran the town and the elected councillors had little say. Rob Pyne probably one of the best politicians around admits how little influence they have.

http://www.cairnsblog.net/2009/11/councillor-pyne-i-am-not-sure-what-val.html

I think a world renown politician would be in the best position to comment on the merits, or otherwise, of “Government”.

I note Margaret Thatcher and Ronald Reagan were both in favour of “Smaller Government”, which intruded less into the private lives and choices of their electorates.

Dearest Margaret actually said

"The larger the slice taken by government, the smaller the cake available for everyone."

And

"I think we've been through a period where too many people have been given to understand that if they have a problem, it's the government's job to cope with it. 'I have a problem, I'll get a grant.' 'I'm homeless, the government must house me.' They're casting their problem on society. And you know, there is no such thing as society. There are individual men and women, and there are families. And no government can do anything except through people, and people must look to themselves first. It's our duty to look after ourselves and then, also, to look after our neighbour. People have got the entitlements too much in mind, without the obligations. There's no such thing as entitlement, unless someone has first met an obligation."

And

“When all the objectives of government include the achievement of equality - other than equality before the law - that government poses a threat to liberty."

So, don’t expect good or great things from “government”,

be cynical and sceptical of the promises of politicians

To expectations: anticipate only mediocrity of performance from civil servants,

that is, after all, why they “serve”…

because civil servants lack the will and where-with-all to lead.

All governments abuse taxpayers money for their own propgaganda. However as for what governments do, we only have two choices.

Control is either handed over to the corporate sector or government (of the people) and I know I would rather a flawed government that has some accountability, at least at election time, than a completely vested interested corporatised state.

Even with a socially democratic government we are more and more corporatised. The key lies in halting the dogma and dehumanising influences of corporates on governments. Not an easy task but not insurmountable for any politician to take a strong stand. He or she may be surprised by the amount of support.

Governments are needed for all those functions where the collective interest is best served such as hospitals, schools, law enforcement, diplomacy and other obvious areas such as roads, bridges, ports etc. It is not difficult to think of others. Energy and communications we have lost to the corporate sector but there is a good argument for keeping these in public ownership.

There are many areas where government gets involved that in my view (this is an opinion site afterall) they should not. Areas that should purely be the domain of private interests - Art, Sport etc or propping up a flawed economy via corporate welfare.

There are many grants that are wasted and often while trying to solve one problem many others are created in response - the insulation grant was one such diabolical decision.

While governments concern themselves with non-essential services the most important sectors will continue to be degraded and under-funded. We have an immigration intake of approximately 130,000 per year but rarely do we hear of a new hospital being built to cope with the influx, or more police to cope with the effects of growing populations, let alone other environmental impacts.

I don't see the private sector whose focus will always be on growth and consumerism as a viable alternative for 'good' government in those important sectors.

Do governments actually do anything worthwhile? Yep, they give something to despise along with Political parties, modern art and sport.